US Authorities Arrest Army Green Beret Over Alleged Insider Trading on Venezuela Raid

The US Department of Justice has taken action against a high-ranking Army officer, Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, for allegedly exploiting confidential government information for personal financial benefit. The indictment, unsealed on Thursday, charges Van Dyke with unlawfully utilizing non-public government information and committing fraud, specifically by placing wagers on the outcome of a military operation in Venezuela, in which he was directly involved. According to the allegations, Van Dyke created an account on the betting platform Polymarket and placed multiple bets totaling $33,000, which yielded approximately $400,000 in winnings after the successful raid. US Attorney Jay Clayton condemned Van Dyke's actions, stating that they constitute a clear case of insider trading, which is prohibited under federal law. The accused allegedly attempted to conceal his involvement by deleting his Polymarket account and altering his email address. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke, with Chairman Mike Selig emphasizing that the defendant's actions compromised national security and put the lives of American service members at risk. Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier with the US Army Special Forces, was involved in the planning and execution of the operation to apprehend former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Following the raid, Van Dyke allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a stablecoin, and transferred the funds to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before moving them to a brokerage account. The investigation was initiated after news organizations noticed unusual betting activity on Polymarket, and Van Dyke's attempts to conceal his identity were ultimately unsuccessful. In response to the allegations, US President Donald Trump expressed his disapproval of the practice of using confidential information for betting purposes, likening the global situation to a 'casino.'